Mix and sift first four ingredients.
Make a well in the center and add, in order, oil, water, egg yolks and flavoring (vanilla, lemon, orange extract, etc).
Beat with a spoon until smooth. Add cream of tartar to egg whites. Beat until egg whites form very stiff peaks. For chiffon cake, eggs should be beaten more stiffly than for a normal cake.
Using the side of a spatula, fold egg whites into first mixture until well blended. Gently fold by using a cutting motion; slice spatula down through the batter, sweep across bottom of bowl and bring up along the side; turn bowl 1/4 of a turn and repeat. Do not stir.
Turn batter into an ungreased 8 or 9-inch tube or angel food cake pan.
Bake in a preheated 325°F oven for about an hour, or until cake springs back when lightly touched in center.
Remove cake from oven and turn pan upside down and suspend the cake so that nothing touches it until the cake has cooled. (Plan this in advance before making the cake).
When the cake has cooled completely, loosen edges of cake from the sides of the pan using a butter knife or thin spatula. Remove from pan.
Marble Chiffon Cake: Follow above recipe; divide batter in half. To one half of batter, gently fold in (do not stir) the following cocoa mixture: 2 tablespoons cocoa, 2 tablespoons sugar, 1/4 teaspoon baking soda and 2 tablespoons hot water; combine ingredients, mixing well before adding to 1/2 of the cake batter.
Pour plain and chocolate batter alternately into pan. Run a spatula through once or twice to gently mix batters leaving the two colors separate and distinct; do not stir. Bake as above.
Submitted by: CM
